MUMBAI: The Thane (rural) police have come under scrutiny for arresting two young women from Palghar over an online post against Sunday's shutdown in Mumbai and its neighbourhood.

Even as the state women's commission called for a detailed report from the Thane (rural) superintendent of police, lawyers and activists questioned if the police buckled under political pressure and acted against the girls.

Former bureaucrat and advocate Abha Singh filed a complaint before the Maharashtra State Commission for Women (MSCW) on Tuesday asking for a probe into the matter. "The police seem to have violated the law by detaining the two women late in the evening, when no woman should be detained," she said, asking the commission to summon records of the case and check if the guidelines for detaining women at night were followed. "Departmental action should also be taken against the police if they are proven guilty of violating the law," she demanded.

Shaheen Dhada (21) and her uncle, meanwhile, said while she was detained late in the evening, the arrest was carried out the next morning. Shaheen and her friend Rinu Shrinivasan (20) were arrested for the former's online comment on the shutdown. "Such behaviour reflects the Talibanization of the state. It is a wrong trend and if not checked now, it will only embolden those who can use force to achieve their ends. This case shows that not only freedom of expression, but one's life and reputation are also at stake," said Singh.

MSCW chief Soumita Biswas was away in Kerala and did not answer calls for comment. Her representative said they would decide on the course of action after receiving a full report from the Thane (rural) SP. In Delhi, National Commission for Women member Nirmala Samant Prabhavalkar said, "Now that chief minister Prithviraj Chavan is seized of the matter and plans to probe the role of the Palghar police, we should await the findings. As a lawyer, I feel the intention of the person posting the comments is crucial in such cases. Courts will have to determine whether the women meant to engender communal hatred."

Advocate Flavia Agnes said the incident indicated that the police were acting under fear and pressure.

"Everything went peacefully and the police did a good job of maintaining law and order during (Bal Thackeray's) funeral. However, in Palghar, the police failed to follow the law. They acted under pressure and detained two women at night. Everybody has the right to express his/her opinion. The (Shiv) Sena has hurt many sentiments in the past. Why should a 21-year-old be stopped from voicing her opinion? The events of that day send out a very wrong message," said Agnes.